Nathan the Wise free essay sample

This supported Lessing’s belief that even contradictory religions could nevertheless be equally true; and therefore religious diversity was not a problem but itself evidence of the divine plan. Lessing believed that God had accommodated people by showing them the world according to their ability to perceive it. For example, Recha turns to religion for an explanation to try and satisfy her understanding through divinity, just as all humans try to understand life with religion. This notion is also vividly illustrated in Nathan’s parable of the rings. Lessing wrote: If God held all truth in his right hand and the sole everlasting urge for truth in his left, with the result that I should be determined to be forever and always mistaken, and said to me, ‘Choose’, I would humbly pick the left hand and say, ‘Father, grant me that. Absolute truth is for you alone. ’† This statement speaks lengths about Lessing’s view of religious truth and his theory of humankind. We will write a custom essay sample on Nathan the Wise or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This urge for truth is what we are programmed to pursue, it is our nature. Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786) was â€Å"Lessing’s friend, chess partner, and philosophical soul mate (8)†. Mendelssohn is the model for Nathan. Lessing was very influenced by Mendelssohn and the two were very close. Mendelssohn was praised for possessing such knowledge and being ‘Jewish’, the two did not go hand in hand during this period. People during this time could not understand how smart he was and judged him based on his religion. For a Jew to be called wise was of controversy. Although, this is the not the first time we notice Lessing’s illustration of controversy between religions. In his Five-act play, The Jews, Lessing depicts an anonymous traveler that rescues a baron and his daughter from a band of thieves. It is then revealed that the hero is a Jew, the baron is grateful and expresses a condescending expression of thanks that reveals his prejudice, â€Å"Oh how respectable the Jews would be if they were all like you! † the Jewish traveler replied â€Å"And how worthy of love the Christians would be if they all possessed your features! † Thus, this type of depiction of a Jew being brave or generous quickly excited dispute. Like Montesquieu, Lessing criticized the superiority of Christianity. Voltaire insisted on the equal worth and truth of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Lessing’s juxtaposition of Christians and Non Christians invites the reader to doubt the superiority of their religion. He also is trying to send a message to the reader that Christians do not have a monopoly on virtue and religious truth. Sittah thought that the plan was perfect: to embarrass Nathan by asking him which religion he thinks best. This begins to bring about momentum in the play and the reader begins to become very engaged. Nathan stresses an important point saying, â€Å"The true ring was indistinguishable†¦ almost as indistinguishable as the true religion is to us (72)†. Saladin attempts to corner him and saying that this is the answer to his question, then Nathan clearly depicts how the same standard is applied to everyone, and just as the rings are identical as our the traditions we are accustomed to. By the end of the exchange Saladin merely wishes to be Nathan’s friend. It is interesting to note that the Knight Templar is the person who saves Recha because of the fact that the Christian Crusaders massacred Nathan’s wife and seven sons. Lessing shows his true colors when depicting the Friar. He shows the reader that the Friar is a good-hearted person that portrays to the audience that the concept of doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily mean doing what religion tells you. The Friar saw Recha as God’s reward for the death of Nathan’s family, and believed it to be Nathan’s destiny to become the father of Recha. It is interesting how Lessing depicts Nathan as being wise because this would encompass all of his actions to that standard. It is also interesting how Nathan does not seek revenge upon Recha—a daughter of the crusaders—which implies that one generation is not responsible for another’s crimes. Nathan simply accepts his ‘decree’ as from God. The main point Lessing is conveying to the audience is this idea that we are all the same just distinguished by religious labels. The Templar says, â€Å"Because it goes without saying? A Templar in love with a Jewish girl! (79)† When the audience finds out that Recha is actually the Templar’s sister the idea of separation amongst religions seems to disappear. This is how the whole play connects and the message to the audience becomes clear. We may all be different types of humans but we are all human.